If He Didn't Exist
by Capella85
Summary: Bella goes back through time with a message... for herself. One shot for Bronzehairedgirl620 and Daddy's Little Cannible's Epic T-Rated Contest. BXE.


**A/N: This is a one shot for ****Daddy's Little Cannibal and ****Bronzehairedgirl620's Epic T-Rated contest. Please enjoy. : ) **

**P.S: Thanks heaps to LittleCoward for being my wonderful Beta! You are amazing and I appreciate you immensly. You always leave such great reviews that make me smile every time, and now you've done this for me. You deserve a Pocket Edward, and when I invent one, you'll be the first to recieve the product! ;) **

_Epic T-Rated Contest:_

_It seems like everyone has had an M rated contest going on. Daddy's Little Cannibal and I decided that we're finished with lemon contests, and want to create an Epic T Rated, One-Shot contest._

_The rules:_

_1. No lemons. Must be rated 'T.'_

_2. Has to have a line or reference to a cannibal._

_3. Has to have a line or reference to a fireman._

_4. All canon pairings._

_5. Has to be a one-shot, but is allowed to be continued once the contest is finished._

_6. Must copy/paste these rules to the top of your submission. Two entries per person. Collaborations acceptable._

_7. Must PM Bronzehairedgirl620 to alert me of your entry so we can add your story to the C2 if it fits the requirements._

_The contest will run until June 6th, 11:59 MST (Mountain Standard Time.) Submissions need to be posted to FF and must follow the rules above. Have fun with it! We look forward to reading your entries. :)_

**Disclaimer: **

**Edward: Are you serious? You haven't touched The Storm in almost two weeks because you were working on this? **

**Capella: It was a contest Edward. I had to. **

**Edward: Geesh, I feel so violated, almost cheated on. Not to mention, you left us at such an intense, heart breaking moment, and for the last two weeks I've been going crazy wondering if I'm even going to live! Emmett and I may have to kidnap you again.**

**Capella: Oh my Cullen, stop being such a drama queen and read on. **

**Edward: Do I suffer? **

**Capella: Do you have to ask? **

**Edward: (sighs) Of course. Well, I'm feeling a little speechless. You'll have to do the thing. **

**Capella: (smirks) Capella doesn't own Twilight. **

If He Didn't Exist 

"You're sure this will work?" Bella asked the small, dark haired vampire before her for the hundredth time. He was young. Perhaps only sixteen when he was changed.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. If only he understood the gravity of the situation.

"No, Mrs. Cullen. I've only had the gift for well over one hundred years. I'm still trying to work out the logistics."

Bella was agitated by his sarcasm, but she had to remember to be nice. He could always refuse her, and if that were the case, all hope was lost. Plus, she had to work quickly. She was fortunate she'd only just met this vampire while on her hunting trip, so that when she found out about his… special talent, she was able to make a quick decision. Had this been planned, one whole state wouldn't have prevented Alice from stopping her.

"Look, I'm sorry," Bella finally offered after taking a deep breath. It seemed strange, staring down at this oddly short immortal, with his blazing red eyes, a creature that she was sure she could have torn in pieces easily, (and she wanted to, after what she'd just been through, she wanted to hurt something,) but instead she found she feared him. Not because of who he was, but because of what he could do.

_If he refused me_… She winced and pushed the thought back. She needed him.

"It's just," she continued, "something happened, and I need to…"

"Change it? Prevent it?" he asked, raising an eye brow and smirking as if he'd already heard this story a thousand times. But he couldn't have. Not her story. Not their story. The beauty and depth of what they had known could never be surpassed. Of that she was positive.

Bella looked down at her feet, fighting the tears that would never come. The hole inside her was so complete, but this tiny little vampire, with his great big impossible gift, brought the first bought of hope she'd felt in months.

He stared at her for a moment, trying to read her expression. "I know that look," he said after a long, quiet moment. "I've seen that look enough to recognize it. It's usually the reason my gift is sought out. I try to keep it quiet, but word always gets around."

"Will you help me?" Bella asked, not wanting to hear about someone else's misery. She'd had enough of her own.

He reached out and placed a small, hard hand on her arm. She flinched. Normally other vampires felt warm to her, but she hadn't let anyone touch her since the incident, and this being the first physical contact she'd had in months, it was strangely icy. She wanted to pull away, but she couldn't. She still needed him.

"It won't come free," he answered in an ominous voice.

Bella finally raised her head, though her eyes didn't have to come up to far to see him. "What do you want?" she asked desperately. She would do absolutely anything, anything at all for this chance.

He smiled at her, staring into her dark, black eyes. "I haven't eaten in a while. I've made myself too recognizable in town. Would you mind bringing me dinner?"

Bella felt every muscle in her body tighten. She knew exactly what he was asking, though he might not have known what it meant for her. What sacrifice he was asking her to make.

"A pretty young girl, those are my favorite." He smiled maliciously, and ran a few fingers through the ends of Bella's hair. She had to use all her strength not to pull away.

It's for him, she repeated over and over in her mind to keep herself from finally tearing this little demon apart.

"Brunette," he finished, and finally took his fingers out of Bella's hair.

Bella took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she turned around and ran as fast as she could without another look at the horrid creature; the same one that was her last chance. Desperation was what moved her. Nothing else could have driven her to what she was about to do.

She had to hurry. By now, Alice would have seen.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**One Hundred and Fifty Years Earlier**_

"Come on Edward!" laughed Bella, though she was attempting to be sarcastically whiny. "Just let me push."

Edward tightened his grip on the handles of the shopping cart, though he made a mental note not to grip too hard, and moved in front of Bella who was trying to push him off to the side.

_Fat chance Bella_, he thought to himself, chuckling at the thought of his fragile human girlfriend having the strength to over power him.

"I can do it!" she exclaimed again, rubbing her now sore shoulder that had just bumped a little too hard into Edward.

Another laugh came from inside the cart; a deep, booming laugh.

"Fat chance Bella," roared Emmett.

Edward raised an eyebrow. Was Em the mind reader now?

"That's like putting a giant tractor inside a little cart on wheels, and you pushing. It ain't happening," declared Edward's over-sized big brother from his seat inside the shopping cart. He was cradled in the basket while his arms and legs hung out over the sides, and it was a wonder to Bella and Edward both how he had ever managed to fit himself in there.

None of them seemed to notice the judgmental stares they were getting from both the shoppers and the employees around them in the grocery store. The three of them were having too much fun, and were finding themselves lost in their own little world.

One thought did happen to catch Edward's attention though. "They're debating kicking us out of the store," he said eyeing a man in a red vest with a name tag that read "Manager."

"No!" Bella cried. "This is the first chance I've had to shop for Charlie in two weeks. You two are not getting me kicked out of the only grocery store in town!"

She tried to give them both a serious "I mean it" stare, but one look at Emmett in the basket and she lost it.

"Edward, please! Just let me try!" she begged again.

"He's too heavy Bella, and you're likely to break something," Edward responded with a tiny hint of frustration.

"I resent that," Bella spat indignantly, placing her hands on her hips.

Edward reached up onto a shelf a grabbed a can of green beans, then mentally checked it off the list in his head. Bella loved shopping with Edward. She didn't have to carry around a little piece of paper with a list of items on it. She just told her ridiculously gorgeous boyfriend what she wanted, and he stored it perfectly in that immortal photographic memory of his.

"You know it's true," Emmett said shrugging while Edward began to push him forward again.

"All, I'm asking for is a chance," Bella said softer, changing her tactic, and placed a hand tenderly on Edward's arm. Immediately a current of electricity shot through her and her heart began to race, as it always did when she touched him, and she was sure Edward could hear it. _That_ she was used to. She peaked over at Emmett and felt her cheeks begin to warm as she realized he'd probably heard the throbbing hum as well, but she wasn't giving up.

"Please," she whimpered, sticking out her lower lip.

She felt Edward's arm relax under her hand, and she knew she had him. He sighed, took a step back, and held out a hand toward the cart motioning for Bella to take it.

"You are the world's most dangerous creature," he said fondly, and Bella smirked deviously at the cart, glad once again that Edward couldn't hear her triumphant thoughts. He would have thought them smug and juvenile, which they were of course.

Bella slowly wrapped her fingers around the handles, anticipation and adrenaline pumping through her. She had no idea if she'd actually be able to push Emmett in the cart. She wondered at how his weight didn't just break through the metal frame, but she wasn't about to miss her chance to show off in case she could do it. She felt silly, but it was Emmett's fault. He had jumped in the cart unexpectedly, charging the mood, and now everyone was feeling a little loopy. Even Edward.

Bella tightened her grip firmly on the bars, felt the muscles in her biceps flex, inhaled a deep breath, took in Emmett's challenging stare, and then with all her might, she pushed.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GOT ME BANNED FROM THE GROCERY STORE!" Bella yelled at Edward later when they got home, completely empty-handed. "You can just go out and hunt when you're hungry. Charlie and I actually have to have food in the house you know."

Edward chuckled. "It's your fault," he declared smugly.

"My fault?" Bella cried, turning incredulously to Edward. "How is it my fault? You're the one that pushed Emmett into the cereal isle. You're the one that let go and allowed him to crash into the shelves. You're the one that caused the domino effect of shelves falling over. How on earth did every single shelf of every single isle fall down anyway?

"I've been banned Edward! Banned from the one and only grocery store in town because you wrecked it! How on earth is that my fault? Please, explain."

"All Right, first of all, relax," Edward said, slowly approaching his love, noting in the back of his mind that she was incredibly adorable when she was angry, though he didn't think that would be the best thing to bring up at the moment. "After the generous donation my family is going to give them for repairs, and of course to add some improvements, I'm sure you'll be allowed back into the store in no time."

Bella was seething at the mention of Edward once again throwing out money needlessly, but she tried to remember that he and Emmett had wrecked the store, not her.

"And second of all," Edward continued placing two gentle hands on Bella's shoulders, "it's your fault because you wanted to push the cart."

Bella shook her head in disbelief, barely choking out, "What?"

"I tried to warn you, but you were being stubborn, and had to prove to the world that you could push Emmett in a shopping cart. When you couldn't, and Emmett started making jokes, I knew you were going to be embarrassed, and of course, as the one who loves you most, I had to prevent that." He gave her his famous half smile which was one of the many facets of Edward that made her heart melt consistently in his presence.

Bella fought back a chuckle that was working its way up. She loved the feel of Edward's hands on her, and she was unable to be angry with him any longer. She was putty in his hands, literally, but she wasn't about to own up to that, so she held her stubborn glare.

"So, in order to protect me from embarrassment, you yell out, 'let's play fireman,' and then begin to push Emmett at near vampire speed all over the store while making a siren call?" Bella placed her hands on her hips, and focused on her scowl, not entirely sure just how impressive it was.

Edward was cautious. He'd never seen her so determinedly upset with him before, and he wasn't exactly sure what approach he should take.

"Well, Emmett forgot all about you didn't he?"

"Maybe Emmett forgot, but everyone else in the store is going to remember."

There was a long quiet pause, and they both could hear the sound of a ticking clock echoing through the house. The silence only magnified the intensity of the electric charge between them, and as they stared each other down, they couldn't help but think at how beautiful the other was, and how much they wanted each other at that moment.

Had Edward been able to read Bella's mind, he would have seen her actions before she executed them, but he was a vampire, so he was able to prepare himself quickly.

Edward willingly received Bella into his arms, and allowed her lips to eagerly dance against his own. He smiled into the kiss despite the burning that was beginning to rage in his throat. As much as it pained him, he loved these moments of being near his Bella, of having her in his arms, of her lips on his.

They both knew the moment when he could feel his self control slipping, and though neither knew it, they both were counting down; 3…2…1…

Bella grasped Edward tighter, but she was no match against the force of his strength. He gently pushed her back, though remained close enough that he could still touch her.

Bella sighed, and the sound made Edward want to pull her close again. He would have, but practiced his usual mental monologue of how Bella's safety was the most important, even if he was protecting her from himself. There were other feelings though that he couldn't push back, and he knew he needed time to breathe.

"I have to go for a while," he whispered unwillingly.

"No," she whined and pulled herself back into his arms. "Why?"

Edward chuckled, though he was feeling just as despondent as she was at the thought of separation. "Well, someone has to put food in this house," he joked.

Bella pushed herself back. "Hey!" she protested, slapping Edward's arm, then instantly retracted her hand from the sting that ensued. "Ow, ow, ow!" she cried shaking her hand back and forth quickly in the air.

This time Edward gave a real chuckle and gently wrapped her hand in between his ice cold fingers. "You'll never learn, will you." It wasn't a question.

He stopped chuckling and smiled down at her, taking in, as was his habit, every facet of her features. Every freckle. Every scar.

The beauty of Edward's face sent Bella's heart into overdrive, and made her forget the pain in her hand.

"There, all better?" he asked tenderly.

Bella's brain couldn't register his question through the fog. "What?

This time it was Edward's dead heart that melted. He loved that he was still able to render Bella incoherent with his mere presence. He leaned down and softly kissed her on the lips.

"I've still got your list in my head," he whispered when he pulled away. "I'll go into Port Angeles, and I promise I won't take Emmett this time."

"Take me," Bella begged, trying to move closer to him.

He wanted to, oh how he wanted to be with her always, but he knew he still needed to calm down a bit from their last kiss. "I would, love; but Charlie's going to be home in an hour, and it's almost curfew." Edward smiled mischievously down at her. "Don't worry, I'll be back tonight."

He kissed her again, and this time disappeared before she could object.

Bella turned around looking for her love, even though she knew he was gone. She already felt the sting of separation, which Edward also felt as soon as he was in his car and he could no longer hear Bella's heartbeat.

It took Bella a couple minutes to calm said heart, which was still beating furiously from Edward's kiss. She let out an exhilarated laugh as she put a hand over her chest. In all her life she'd never dreamed she'd find a love like this, let alone with a mythical creature that wasn't supposed to exist.

She cringed, feeling guilty for even thinking of it. She knew in her heart of hearts it wasn't a right world where Edward didn't exist. Even if they had never met, he belonged here.

After her heart was running at a normal, healthy rate, she walked into her kitchen to hunt through her cupboards for something for Charlie to eat. She was beginning to admit defeat as shelf upon shelf turned up bare. _How could I have let it get this bad?_ she mentally berated herself.

But she knew the answer to that question, and as Edward's handsome face appeared in her mind, she surprised herself by letting out a little giggle.

"Focus Bella!" she commanded out loud, and began searching the fridge.

It was while her head was buried in the chilly box that a blinding white light and a loud, painful ringing sound began to explode around her. Bella jerked up and hit her head against the top of the fridge, shaking the whole appliance in the process.

After releasing a loud "ow," she pulled out of the fridge and placed her hands over both her ears, trying to drown out the sound. It didn't help. Bella fell to her knees and let out an agonizing cry as the ringing seemed to seep in past her ears and tear at every organ inside her body. Even her skin felt as if it were trying to peel off.

Then, as suddenly as the light and the ringing had come, it disappeared, leaving Bella gasping for air on the floor. Her eyes were open wide in fear as she tried to process what had just happened, when she suddenly became aware that she was not alone.

Her hands were shaking against the floor, and her heart was pounding in her chest. Whatever was in the room with her, she was sure it wasn't… _human_. She could almost hear Edward smugly commenting in her head that if there were anything dangerous within a hundred mile radius, it would inevitably find her.

She clenched her fists, and with great effort, forced herself to look to the side.

She gasped as she took in the apparition. There before her, stood perhaps the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, even more so than Rosalie, as impossible as that seemed to Bella. Her hair was long and a deep shiny dark brown which fell into loose curls below her shoulders.

Her lips were a full, luscious red. Her nose, chin and cheek bones; perfectly angular. Her skin; silky, smooth and extremely… pale. She was too beautiful, too stunning to be human.

She rose to her feet, still shaking from head to toe, knowing it was more likely than not that this creature that must have had appeared from the light, was here for the kill, and there was no Edward to save her.

She turned to meet the woman face to face, anticipating an attack that she was obviously prolonging. Whoever she was, she had a look of recognition on her face, though Bella was sure they'd never met.

She also seemed pained somehow, and unsure. Her eyes were wild, staring Bella down as if they were trying to bore holes into her body.

There was something about her that Bella couldn't quite put her finger on. Though she was sure she'd never met this woman in her life, (she knew she'd never forget someone like this) she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something entirely familiar about her.

When the woman didn't say anything, didn't move, Bella initiated, her brain scrambling to somehow find a way of survival. She had to survive, for Edward, and perhaps talking would help. It couldn't hurt to find out what she wanted at least.

"Who are you?" Bella asked in a timid voice.

The beautiful creature before her didn't make any appearance that she'd heard the question.

"What do you want?" Bella asked in a second attempt to get her to speak.

Suddenly, the girl seemed to break out of her trance and began looking around the house. While she did, Bella took a moment to scan the kitchen for some sort of weapon. She spotted a butcher's knife next to the sink, and then moved her eyes back to the woman, waiting for an opportune moment to make a move.

The woman turned and looked toward the living room, and her expression turned thoughtful. Bella was about to make a mad dash for the knife, but the woman finally spoke, her voice catching Bella off guard.

"This is… weird."

Bella noticed the way each note of her voice sounded like wind chimes, graceful and lovely, despite her fearsome appearance. Her mouth dropped open a little, and the woman spoke again, turning back to the kitchen, but still not looking at Bella.

"I can't believe it worked. It really worked." Her voice sounded disbelieving, and Bella slowly began making small steps closer to the sink.

The woman was still too distracted to notice, and when she began walking towards a shelf on the wall, full of pictures of her and her father, Bella froze.

The woman took in each photo, her body perfectly still as her eyes moved around. When she was finished there, she took slow, graceful steps to a calendar on the wall and placed her finger on today's date. Charlie still put X's in each box after the day was done.

"Hmm…" the woman murmured and then went back to the pictures.

It was unnerving, how quiet it was with this strange woman who seemed to appear out of no where, and after that thought crossed Bella's mind, she finally made her run for the knife.

She let out a gasp as the woman suddenly materialized in front of her, the knife in her hand. She froze in place and the woman let up a little smirk.

"Looking for this?"

Bella took a few steps back, not taking her eyes off the woman, or the knife.

"Who are you?" she repeated, and the woman sighed in response, setting the knife back down on the counter, to Bella's relief.

"It's been years since I've been here," she answered, taking another look around the kitchen. "It's exactly as I remember it."

Bella was now standing with the table between her and the woman, though she doubted it would do much to protect her. She clamped her hands tightly against the top of the chair, sure her fingers would soon bleed.

The fearsome woman turned her attention back to Bella, and Bella noticed in surprise how pained she looked. It was a look she recognized. Something that was so deep it was both emotional and physical. It was the same look she had on her face all those months that Edward had left her for "her own good."

The memories of that pain flashed like fire inside Bella's heart and she released one of her hands from the chair to clutch it against her chest. She tried to shake the thought off. There were other dangers at the moment.

The woman remained in her spot by the sink, not taking her eyes off Bella, who was grateful she was keeping her distance.

"You have to leave Edward," the woman said, sending an invisible dagger through Bella's heart. She clutched her chest tighter.

"No," she said in reflex, feeling braver than she had just a moment ago. "Who are you?" she repeated a third time, more forcefully now.

The look on the woman's face became more threatening as she began to move closer to Bella, who had suddenly lost all the courage she'd felt only a moment ago.

"If you don't leave Edward now, he's going to die."

Bella felt her stomach turn as nausea began to make its' self present. She didn't even know this woman, but hearing those words come out of her mouth, just the thought of Edward dying, caused the world to spin around her.

"What… what do you mean?"

"I mean, that in about one hundred and fifty years from now, if you and Edward are still together, you're going to lose him forever."

Bella's eyes shot open wide as she turned her attention back to the woman, who was no longer just a stranger, but in Bella's eyes, she was the grim reaper.

"How dare you," Bella said lowly but with malice. "How dare you even imply that he could…" Bella rushed forward as she was talking, forgetting the present dangers, determined to destroy this woman for even daring to suggest that Edward could ever be gone from this world.

The woman didn't make an attempt to move, or to fight back, but as soon as Bella's hands touched her skin, she jerked back.

"Your skin…" she stammered. "It's ice cold, like their's. You're one of them."

She slowly backed away, warning signs flashing in her mind as she realized she was standing face to face with a vampire, and knowing that she would be absolutely helpless in a fight. Instinctively, she looked up at the vampire's eyes, and sucked in a deep breath when she noticed that they were black. She was hungry.

Bella looked around, waiting for Edward to burst through the door and save her.

"He won't come," the woman said out loud as if she had read her thoughts. She looked toward the calendar. "Alice is on another honeymoon with Jasper. She's not watching you."

She was right. Bella had forgotten that Alice and Jasper were gone, and she knew how distracted Alice got when her and her lover went away. She felt her body begin to shudder as it became certain that no one was coming for her.

Bella's hands dropped to her sides in defeat. She felt tears welling up as she realized she was never going to see Edward again. At least when she was gone, she wouldn't have to suffer anymore, but what about Edward? What would he do when he came back and found her… would he go back to the Volturi? Of course he would. That thought sent her further waves of depression. The world just wasn't right if Edward didn't exist.

She couldn't think of anything to say. Only Edward's face filled her mind, and the thought that she had just had her last moment with him, and didn't even know it.

She felt a cold hand on her cheek, and an icy thumb wipe away the tears that had fallen. Her face jerked up, and the beautiful vampire was staring down at her, almost compassionately.

"Tears. You don't know how much I miss that," she said softly. After a moment of silence she said in an extremely compassionate but determined voice, "You have to let him go,"

"Please just get it over with quickly," Bella pleaded, not taking her chocolate brown eyes off the black ones before her.

"Get what over with?" she asked confused, and then Bella watched as understanding painted her face. "Oh, I see. You think I'm going to kill you. I understand that. Perhaps I should, it would save us both a lot of pain. In fact, if I killed you now, I would never exist, and this dead heart would stop breaking."

Bella saw the woman's eyes grow even more wild as she considered that thought, and gulped as the possibilities crossed her own mind. The woman lightly wrapped ice cold fingers around Bella's throat, sending shivers through her body.

She held her hand there for a few moments, and then finally sighed, releasing Bella from her cold, dead grip. "But that would never do. We're trying to save Edward, not destroy him."

Bella looked up at the cold figure before her incredulously. "I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"Bella," the woman said with fondness in her voice. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

Bella just stared, confused and terrified all at the same time.

The vampire woman took a deep breath, and as she released she claimed, "I'm you."

She let that sink in a minute as Bella's brain tried to register the information. She took in her face, the shape of her lips, the color of her hair, her equal height, and then it made perfect sense, and at the same time it didn't. That familiar feeling, the way she had taken in the house.

Bella had seen enough of the supernatural to believe that anything was possible, but how could this be real? How could this vampire be herself?

"How?" Bella asked, the only word she could communicate to verbalize her internal questions.

The vampire took a step back, not taking her eyes off Bella. "I'm you, one hundred and fifty years from now. Long story short, a vampire with a gift sent me back here to you."

That was all she needed to hear for Bella to believe the story. Her mind tried to wrap around it, but when she made that attempt, nothing made sense, so instead, she tried to let herself just accept it. This became one hundred times easier when an excited thought hit her.

"I'm a vampire?" She felt so giddy she could have jumped up and down. "How? How did I…?" She was so excited she couldn't finish her question.

"Edward did it," the future Bella answered sadly, but present Bella was still too jazzed to notice the remorse in her tone.

"He…? Edward…? But he said…?"

"He changed his mind."

Bella covered her mouth, barely able to contain the joy that now elatedly ran through her, until another thought popped into her mind, shattering her entire moment. "But you said, you said if I didn't leave Edward, he's going to die."

She felt the tremors coming upon her body again, and once more the room began to spin around her. The vampire stood up and held out a chair for Bella. She took a seat and buried her head between her legs. When her breathing went back to normal, there was only one question on her mind, and though she wanted nothing more than to cover her ears so she couldn't hear the answer, she had to know.

"How?"

The vampire knelt down on both knees before Bella and placed two hands on her knees. Bella stared into her eyes and felt all the emotions she saw there. They were both in pain, though present Bella hadn't actually lost Edward yet, the thought was still unbearable.

"Saving us," the vampire answered.

Bella let that sink in as she thought, "Of course. Edward would never do anything to take himself away from me, except prevent me from being taken from him.

"Who was it?" Bella asked, anger mixing with her despair as she waited for the answer.

"Felix and Demetri."

The two names shot through Bella's heart like poison, and she sucked in a murderous gasp. She knew those names like a nightmare lingers in the back of the mind in consciousness. She didn't respond, so the vampire continued.

"They came after us, knowing they could get to Edward that way." She made a sound that sounded like a sniffle, though Bella knew there were no tears. When she spoke next, her voice was as venomous as the poison that ran through her like blood. "They were merciless. They bit into him like cannibals. They tore him apart, right before my eyes."

Bella felt her whole world explode as she took in this information, and vampire Bella dropped to the floor, clutching to herself like a life vest in the middle of a terrible storm. She took a few deep breaths and then pushed herself up to meet Bella once more.

She seemed to have gathered her emotions, but there was no hiding the pain in her eyes.

Bella was still sitting on the chair, but she was now grasping the seat, her nails digging holes into the wood, and tears were streaming down her face.

"Please stop. Don't tell me anymore," she cried to the vampire.

"You have to listen to me Bella. After high school, Edward is going to turn you into a vampire. You'll have over one hundred beautiful years together, but then he is going to die, and your whole world is going to fall apart, and the only way to stop it is to leave him now, before it's too late."

Bella felt an angry fire rage inside her and she began to yell at her counterpart. "Why now? Why did you come to me now? Why not before I met Edward? Before I came to Forks?"

"Because this is where the bloody vampire sent me!" she screamed in frustration. "I forgot to be specific. I just asked him to send me back to me when I was human."

The anger burned brighter inside Bella. "And how do you expect me to find the strength to leave Edward? How? After you've told me he's going to turn me? You got over one hundred years with him. How can I reject that?"

The vampire stared at her human self for a long time, trying to communicate her words with her eyes before she spoke them. "Because you know as well as I do, that the world isn't right if he doesn't exist

Bella's fury fell, and she felt as if she'd been smacked in the face with a hammer. Those words laid out the answer before her like a complicated puzzle completely solved, but it still took a million moments while her thoughts and her heart twisted and turned for her to answer, "You're right."

She looked up and met her vampire counterpart face to face. "Tell me something?"

The vampire didn't make a sound as her intense gaze bore into Bella's.

"Was it everything we thought it'd be?"

Vampire Bella have a half, sad smirk. "Even more."

A tear fell down Bella's cheek as everything she had dreamed of since she'd met Edward began to blur, all the colors turning into one like a painting soaked with water. "It's not fair. You've had all that time with him. I want it, more than anything."

"I know."

"You got everything I wanted. Why should I have to give it up?"

Bella looked at her former human self sadly. "I _lost_ everything we wanted. He died because of me. Because of us. The _only_ way to protect him is to let him go."

It was almost an hour and a half later when Edward returned to Bella's house. Charlie had called and conveniently mentioned that he would be working late, and future Bella took off knowing Edward couldn't see her. He had to believe the lie Bella was going to feed him. He had to have no reason to fight, and there was only one thing that would convince Edward to leave.

It was an hour and a half that Bella had to mull over what she was going to do, what she was going to say. For an hour and a half, Bella had to think about how she was going to eternally break both her and Edward's hearts.

When Edward walked through the door, Bella's eyes were red and puffy, and though his instinctive reaction was to drop the groceries and run to her, the smell of an unfamiliar, yet some how familiar vampire hit his senses, and after he did indeed drop the groceries, he quickly ran through the whole house checking for the intruder.

When he realized the creature was gone, he appeared seemingly out of thin air and scooped Bella into his arms.

"What happened?" he demanded staring her in the face, and then softened as he remembered her red eyes. "Are you hurt?" he asked, his eyes scanning her body for injury.

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come.

"Bella," he said, his voice gaining ferocity once more. "Are you hurt?"

"N… No." Bella stammered, not taking her eyes off her love. She didn't want to miss one final moment with him. She let him hold her a little bit longer, finding strength in his arms.

"A vampire was here," she said bracing herself for the impact she'd feel when this was over. "She was going to attack me, but I think your scent confused her and frightened her off."

Bella immediately recognized the horror on Edward's face. She could almost hear his thoughts berating himself for leaving her alone, taking all the blame on himself as usual.

"I was terrified," Bella stated, using the emotion she felt in her voice.

Edward clutched Bella tightly to himself, still unable to find words at the thought of almost losing his one and only love, again.

Bella pressed herself as close to him as possible, finally closing her eyes and breathing in his beautiful scent.

"Edward," she breathed, feeling as if she were lugging a brick for each word she was about to speak. "I can't do this anymore."

"What?" he asked finally finding his voice, still holding her to him, completely unaware of what was coming.

Bella squeezed her eyes and then pulled back. Edward loosened his arms just enough to see her face. He looked pained, the thought of dangerous vampire in this house still fresh in his mind.

"I'm tired of being put in danger." The weight of each word was almost too much to bear. She desperately wished for once that Edward could read her mind so that he would see each word wasn't true. "I'm tired of risking my life. I'm scared Edward, and I'm tired of it. I thought I could do it for you, but I've realized… I… I want a normal life, and I can't have that with you."

Edward froze as still as a statue as fear, horror, despair, desolation, anguish, agony and confirmation ran through his veins like poison, choking his every breath, burning worse than any thirst for blood in his throat.

It took a moment for his brilliant mind to register Bella's meaning. What he had always wanted and feared the most was happening. Bella was finally beginning to see the truth. Bella was finally saying good bye.

He swallowed the venom that was forming in his mouth. He had to be strong when he spoke. He knew this was always the right thing to do. He knew if she'd ever said good bye to him, if that was what she wanted, he'd leave without an argument. He knew he had to make this as easy for her as possible, and the pain on her face told him that it wasn't.

"If that's what you wish," he said smoothly, though in his mind he was begging Bella to take him back, and give him another chance.

Bella swallowed, almost choking on her spit. She fought every tear that begged to be set free. She would save them for later. She had to.

"It is." With those two words her entire universe collapsed.

"Well then," and that was all he responded. He turned around, picked up the groceries, quickly put them away, (there was enough to last Charlie and Bella a month) and then went back to the love of his life.

He placed a hand on her cheek, leaned down, and kissed her forehead. He lingered a moment, took one last deep breath of her scent, and then whispered in her ear, "Good bye Bella."

And then he was gone.

And while Bella crumpled to the floor in agony, Edward went off to search for the vampire that had threatened his love. The vampire that had been the straw that broke the camels back, finally convincing her to leave him. He was going to find the vampire, and he was going to destroy it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Bella lay in a heap on the floor, closing into herself as much as she possibly could, as if she were physically trying to keep herself together. Though everything inside her was trying desperately to burst into pieces, she didn't let the wail she felt screaming in her head to be released, just in case Edward was still by her house. She didn't want to give him a reason to come back. She didn't have the strength to lie again.

It was while she was in this position that a second blinding light and piercing ring filled the room. She squeezed her eyes shut and plugged her ears with her hands and waited for it to end.

When it did, she found herself once again breathless, and somewhere in the back of her mind she was wishing that whatever came out of the light would finish her quickly. Regardless, she didn't think she was going to last till morning, and she wasn't looking forward to the slow process that would be.

When her breathing returned to normal, she waited just another moment before opening her eyes, and before she did, she heard a familiar, loud, booming voice exclaim excitedly, "Oh cool! We're at Shopping Cart Fireman Day!"

Bella's eyes shot open.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Edward found the vampire in his and Bella's meadow, which only fueled his anger more.

The sky was clear and the moon was full, casting a haunting glow over the field that he had brought Bella to countless times. Her presence in this place was tainting its' beauty and its' memory. He wanted to tear her to pieces.

He didn't even know her name, but he blamed her for the travesty he'd just experienced. He also held onto the anger that blazed inside him because for as long as he did, he could avoid the pain that was waiting to greet him the moment he let go.

She was running back and forth at vampire speed, though Edward could see her perfectly clear. She seemed to be in some sort of frenzy. She'd run, pull out a tree root or a large stone, and then throw it as far as possible.

She was muttering something about why she wasn't disappearing. It stopped Edward for a moment as he listened for her words, surprised she hadn't noticed him yet.

"Why isn't it working? It should have worked. I shouldn't exist. Why am I still here?" She let out another cry as she uprooted an entire tree and threw it at another.

Unable to still himself any longer, Edward let out a loud, angry growl, and the female turned around in surprise.

When she saw Edward, she froze, all her rage completely melting. For a moment, she forgot that her love had been killed. How could he have? He was standing right there in front of her. She felt as if her stone heart was leaping inside her chest. He was back! He was back!

She took a step toward him. "Edward…" she breathed.

He didn't wait for any more. He barely noticed she'd said his name. Before she knew what was happening, he ran at her.

Bella was too shocked to defend herself at first. He had her pinned to the ground, and he was growling in her face. Her dark eyes grew wide at him, and though her instincts screamed "danger" she couldn't help but once again be lost in his eyes, furious as they were.

"You stole my love from me!" he roared, and the sound was deafening like thunder.

"What?" she exclaimed, the nostalgia of her moment suddenly dissipating as fear and confusion settled in. "Edward, what are you talk… oh…" A vision of her despondent human self filled her mind. "Please, Edward, let me explain."

"Don't say my name," he growled, and then began pulling at her arm.

Bella let out a painful cry, and finally began to fight back. She was able to push Edward's stomach up with one knee, and then kick him off with the other. It helped that Edward couldn't read her mind, though he hadn't realized this yet, his fury blinding him.

They both flew backwards, landing in crouched positions. Edward didn't waste a moment before running forward, though Bella had to mentally force herself to fight back. She'd never attacked Edward before, but her instincts wouldn't let her lie down and die, especially not now, when she had Edward back.

When their bodies collided, a sound like thunder echoed through the trees. They rolled through the grass while clasping onto each other, both vying for the upper hand, but Bella was too hesitant to fight with all her strength, and it wasn't long before Edward was once again ripping at her limbs.

Bella let out a cry, but this time it wasn't from the physical pain. Her mind was a jumbled mess, and she'd forgotten where she was or where she was from. She couldn't understand why her love was trying to hurt her.

She struggled, but not enough to break free. She cried out in a loud, anguished cry, "Edward, why are you doing this to me?"

The pain in her voice was enough to clear through the red fog in Edward's mind, and for a moment he paused, her arm, still attached, encircled in his tight grip.

As he stared down at her, trying to decipher her pained expression, it hit him just then that he couldn't read her thoughts, and it registered with his senses why the smell in the house had been so familiar, especially now when it was so potent. It was incredibly similar to Bella's scent, just less painful.

"Edward," she cried softly, looking up at him, and if she could have cried, there would have been tears in her eyes right then.

His eyes widened, though he had absolutely no idea what was going on, when all of the sudden two strong hands gripped his shoulders and threw him off of the vampire. Two loud voices were screaming at him now, though the mouths of the owners were not moving.

"Emmett?" Edward called quietly. "Alice?"

"Alice?" cried the voice of the female vampire he'd just attacked, and then his sister ran to the girl and wrapped her arms around her. She ran her fingers soothingly through the girl's hair.

"Alice, what are you…" but Edward couldn't finish his sentence, because the deafening sound of a familiar heartbeat began to ring in his ears. He turned to the source of the racing drum. "Bella?"

Her eyes were racing back and forth between Edward and her vampire self as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.

Edward stood up, never taking his eyes off Bella, and the two of them were unsure of how to proceed.

A loud cry caught both their attentions, and they turned to the commotion.

Alice and Emmett were both holding onto the dark haired vampire who was desperately struggling to be released from their grasp.

"No!" she screamed. "You don't understand, I can save him! I can save him!"

"No Bella," Emmett cried, the vampire no match against the force of his strength.

_Bella__?_ thought Edward, more confused than ever.

"You're wrong," Emmett claimed, trying to calm down the struggling vampire.

"Bella, please relax," Alice soothed, holding both her hands on the vampire's face. "You're only hurting yourself."

"Let me go!" she screamed. "Please, I can save him," she claimed again. "He has to exist!"

"Bella this is wrong," Emmett cried out still holding onto the fighting vampire. "You're not thinking clearly. There's another way."

"There's no other way!" she rebuffed.

"Yes, yes there is. We can still save Edward, and you don't have to leave him."

That calmed Bella down, and now everyone, including Edward, was staring wide eyed at Emmett.

"Shhh…" Emmett soothed as Bella finally began to settle.

She clutched tightly to her brother's arm and sobbed tearless cries into his sleeve.

"What is going on?" Came Edward bewildered voice, and all eyes turned to him.

It was Alice that explained. She began to run her thoughts over the course of the last one hundred fifty years, though chose only select memories to show him. She didn't want to spoil it all for her brooding brother.

Edward listened to her thoughts in shock. One thing was for certain. As impossible as it was, this Emmett and this Alice were not his siblings, at least not the one's he was living with currently.

"But how…" Edward said, unable to finish his thought.

Alice showed him the vision she'd had of Bella and the vampire that had sent them back, and how her and Emmett had come to stop her. He almost chuckled when he saw Emmett lift the tiny vampire up by his throat and threaten to tear him apart and feed him to the werewolves if he didn't send them to Bella immediately, but his humor died when he realized why Bella had come back.

"I died," he said softly, looking back to his human love, whose eyes were glued to Edward. He wanted to run to her, even now with the explanation in place, but it still felt too intruding, though he couldn't explain why.

"You don't have to," came Alice's sing song voice. "Felix and Demetri will come looking for you in one hundred and fifty years. I won't see it because I'll be on another honeymoon with Jazz." Alice paused a moment and stared dreamily off to the side. Edward switched his focus onto Emmett's thoughts.

"Sorry bro," Emmett said recognizing the disgust on Edward's expression. "You just have to warn Alice to keep her _eyes_ open then, and everything will be hunky dory."

Alice came back to and laughed at her big brother's expression. "Hunky dory Em? Seriously?"

Edward's thoughts had taken a new direction now as he stared at his future vampire love, who was staring emotionally straight back at him. After all that had happened, after all the turmoil his heart had endured in just one evening, he could only think of one thing.

_Bella was going to be a vampire._ Bella was going to belong to him for eternity. As much as he'd hated the thought of taking her soul, seeing her like this thrilled him like nothing he'd ever known, and he'd finally allowed himself to silently own up to his desire; _he wanted this. _

Emmett finally let Bella go, and before she knew what she was doing, she began walking to Edward. She stopped just in front of him, and Edward couldn't take his eyes off her, a whole new slew of possibilities running through his mind.

She slowly reached up a hand and rested it gently on his face. At the moment it made contact, she sucked in a deep breath and for the first time since she lost her husband, she allowed herself to smile.

"It's you," she whispered and she could almost feel her dead heart racing inside her as it did when she was human.

Edward was holding his breath, suddenly unsure of what he should be feeling. If all this was real… but how could it be real? He hadn't decided on this. He wasn't going to change her. But seeing her here, feeling her vampire skin warm against his own, knowing this was Bella, how could he resist such temptation.

She moved forward, but he pulled back. Even if this was Bella, it wasn't his Bella, at least not in this world.

Her hand slowly pulled away and she nodded, not taking her eyes off him. "I love you," she whispered, and then slowly made her way back to Emmett and Alice.

Alice wrapped a comforting arm around Bella, and both Alice and Emmett smiled over at Edward.

"Hey Bella," Emmett called and both looked to him, though he was looking at the only human present. "Don't think I forgot that you didn't move me an inch in that cart today." Bella's eyes grew wide. "You and I both knew you didn't stand a chance."

"Oh! Renesme's going to love this story!" Alice cheered jumping up and down.

"Who's Renesme?" Edward asked, and caught a glimpse of a tall woman with curly bronze hair and chocolate brown eyes in Alice's mind before she blocked her thoughts.

"You'll see," Alice answered smugly.

Even vampire Bella smiled at that.

"Oh and Edward," Emmett called catching his brother's attention. "Cabo San Lucas, 2057… Just don't do it."

"What…" Edward began, but Emmett interrupted.

"Trust me. Oh and Bella, you will never, under any circumstance, for any reason that you could possibly imagine, be stronger than me, so just get that thought out of your head right now, K?"

Bella's mouth fell just a little, the entire scene difficult to take in.

"Don't leave her Edward, no matter what, don't leave her," Alice charged in her tiny, threatening pixy voice.

Edward didn't think twice. "I won't."

The moment the words left his lips, the moment the decision was made, Alice, Emmett and vampire Bella began to fade away, until they were no more.

Both Edward and Bella, left alone in the field stared at the now empty spot where their family had just been for a few minutes before finally turning to each other.

The moment felt awkward, neither sure what move they should make after all they had just seen, and the words that had been spoken earlier.

There was a good ten feet of space between them, and Bella stood, holding her hands behind her back and shifting her weight back and forth uncomfortably. Her thoughts were filled with painful insecurities. How could he ever take her back after what she'd done? How could she ever live without him?

"Bella…" he began taking a step toward her.

"No let me," she interrupted, and Edward stopped. "I'm sorry. What I said, I didn't mean it."

"But, it's true. Bella, all I do is put you in danger. As long as I'm around, you're in danger, but I can't survive without you."

"But I'm not afraid Edward. As long as you're with me I can face anything. I don't care if me being with you causes the world to end, as long as you're alive. The world just isn't right if you don't exist."

Edward was silent for a moment and then so quickly Bella didn't see, he was standing right in front of her, his hands on both her cheeks.

"My world isn't right without _you_ in it," he claimed softly, now running his fingers through her hair. "I thought I'd lost you again for a second there."

Bella turned her face to the side and kissed his hand, than moved her eyes back to her love's glorious face and smiled. "Never. Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never. I want you, always."

It was all he needed to hear, all previous rejection slipping away.

He started to lean down when Bella's voice stopped him. "Edward?"

"Hmmm?"

"It appears I get my wish after all."

"What's that?" he asked with a smirk in his voice.

"You're going to make me like you." Bella was smiling, but Edward stiffened, his feelings still mixed about turning Bella, but her spirits couldn't be dampened after that thought. "You know what I'll look forward to most?"

"What's that?" he asked cautiously.

Bella's voice dropped into a low, inviting tone. "Being able to kiss you whenever I want, as passionately as I want, and never having to let you go."

Edward smiled, closing his eyes. "You will be a bit more durable, I have to admit."

Bella's grin widened. He'd just admitted to her that he had accepted changing her, but she didn't want to bring it up and ruin the moment.

"Edward?" she said again.

"Hmmm?"

"Kiss me."

Edward smiled and willingly obeyed his love's command.

"Bella," he whispered against her lips.

"Hmmm?" she pushed forward, not wanting him to talk.

He chuckled, not pulling his face away. "I love you."

Bella pulled back and met her love's eyes. "Forever?" she asked.

Edward wrapped a hand around her back and pulled her closer to him. "Forever. You're my world, and I'm never letting you go, and this time, I don't care what you say."

"Good," Bella answered seriously, "because that almost killed me."

Edward frowned.

"Lucky for me, I have you to bring me back to life," she commented, raising one eye brow.

"Oh," he said, his smile returning. "And how's that?"

Bella gave him a mischievous smile, and then she pressed her lips against Edward's once again.

**The End**


End file.
